Mr. Hartel has served as President of Valley Fire Protection Systems since 1995. Prior to joining Valley, Mr. Hartel was Treasurer with K & S Automatic Sprinklers, Inc., located in Bellwood, Illinois.

Mr. Hartel graduated from the University of Iowa with a B.B.A. in Business Administration, where he majored in Finance. He also holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business with specializations in Finance and Accounting. As a young man, Tom earned the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 13, Northern Illinois Chapter.

Tom plays a leadership role in numerous industry trade associations, and BOMA/Suburban Chicago named him “Associate of the Year” in December 2005. Tom’s grandfather Harry Hartel began his fire protection career in the early 1900s with Grinnell Fire Protection in San Francisco. Tom’s father Frank Hartel entered the industry in the early 1950s after having served in the Korean War.

Mr. Hartel is active with several charitable organizations. Tom enjoys group exercise classes and riding his mountain bike on the area trails.

Matt’s passion for fire protection and life safety started as a graduating high school student looking for what would be the focus of his work life. A chance viewing of a TV commercial marketing Seneca College and a program to study fire protection generated the realization that he had found his calling.

Fast forward 17 years and he is still pursuing that goal but with a more refined and guided purpose. In between, he graduated from Seneca College and the University of Cincinnati with an Honors BS in Fire Protection Engineering. He also has the privilege of serving on both the NFPA 30 committee and the NFSA board as treasurer for the Illinois chapter.

As an executive at Valley Fire Protection, Matt’s desire is to provide the best fire protection and engineering experience for Valley Fire customers. By thinking outside the box, and by educating and equipping clients with the information they need to help them properly protect their buildings, Matt and his team have contributed to a long list of successful projects.

Matt lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife and two children. He enjoys golfing, activities with his church and spending time with his family.

Todd began working as a pipefitter back in 1992, joining the Valley Fire family in 2003. In addition to managing our field employees, he is committed to maintaining the highest installation and safety standards with every project.

A perfectionist his whole life, Todd once had an opportunity to work as a surfboard designer in Hawaii. To keep his oceanic passions alive, he still collects shark teeth. And if you have a pinball machine that needs fixing, Todd is your man.